A Change of Reality: Diaspora
by Xbamex
Summary: Sequel to "A Change of Reality". It has been more than a year since Bame left Whiterun. In that time, he figures out that the only person that could bring his humanity back is missing. As he searches Skyrim for his last hope, he starts to lose faith in finding a cure. *Rated M* Read first story before beginning this one!


**And Here's the sequel to the first Change of Reality. I know its been a long long time since I had the time to start writing the sequel. Well the story will be formatted similar to the last one but I might only change the point of views every chapter. Well I hope you enjoy the sequel, if you see any mistakes, please PM me! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls or anything from Bethesda. I only own my own chararcters!**

* * *

It's been more than eleven months since I've started the search for Falion. I've tried getting leads all over Skyrim but I haven't had much luck. When I went to Morthal almost a year ago, I went to his house and knocked. Obviously, nobody opened up. One of guards told me that he had a note a few days prior that said that he had errands out of Hjaalmarch and he would be back in a week. That never happened either so then I decided to ask around if anyone's saw him leave. And nobody did.

At that point, things got really suspicious. Finally, I decided to search for him myself and I still haven't found him. My hope of curing this curse only hangs on a thread, but I have to make myself believe that he's still alive. There's always that chance that he's still alive, but there's also that chance that he's dead. If he's dead, then I'm never going to be human again or alive!

It's been a year and I still can't get use to the taste of blood. Even if the ones I hunt for are lowly bandits, it still doesn't feel right. That's obviously an understatement. By now I probably made a name for myself so I decide not to go to the main cities like Solitude, Markarth, Whiterun, Windhelm or Riften. Falkreath, Dawnstar and Winterhold are still on the list of places to go but I'm beginning to doubt that it'd be a good idea. Although, the villages around the province are still part of the limit.

Right now, I'm sitting next to a dying fire and it's a little after dusk. Campfires really aren't necessary for cold-blooded vampires but they do make me feel like a human again. I miss the feeling of being warm. Lately, the little things are making me feel nostalgic. I miss eating grilled steak. I miss eating potatoes. I miss drinking! Hell, I could go on for days.

As I stared at the dying fire, I lost myself in a train of thoughts. I thought about Drakuv, hoping if he was coming around and his whereabouts. I thought about Kevin and Steve. I wonder how they are holding up in this world and what they have been doing for a year. Same thing goes for Cain and Jon. Cain is the Dragonborn so he's probably always on the move. As for Jon, I have no idea what he's been up to. Probably working for the Companions and whatnot.

Then there's Lydia. A year has passed and I'm not even sure if she thinks I'm alive anymore. I wouldn't blame her if she was convinced I was dead. I still miss her. A lot. I can't go back to her until I'm cured from this curse. However, the one thing I stress over is going back to her and she's with another man and/or she's spoken for. Well that's entirely out of my reach though. What it's gonna be is what it's gonna be.

On another note, I've become more in tune with this world's calendar along with many other small things. From what I've been told and from what I gathered, today is the 24th of Rain's Hand in the year 202 of the 4th Era. Come to think of it, I turned nineteen in Morning Star, the 17th to be exact. Not that it really matters really because I'm a damn vampire. I'm going to look eighteen forever unless I get cured.

I see why this month is called Rain's Hand. It rains often, especially here in The Reach. I witnessed a few gully washers this month. Besides the fact they are terrifying, they are quite a sight to see. The few I saw back on Earth weren't even remotely close to the ones here. At least in terms of size. A week ago there was a massive gully washer in the Karthspire canyon and it took out the entire Forsworn camp.

Anyways, my supplies are kind of stretched thin. I don't have a lot of gold. Gold is hard to come by these days. That steel armor I had a year ago pretty much became useless after a few months. I don't know much about blacksmithing so I sold it for whatever it was worth. Turns out, it wasn't that pricy. So all I have is a set of leather armor and a hood. As for weapons, I still have my Skyforged war axe and recently I found an eleven dagger which is pretty useful. That's basically all I have. Regular food and water isn't a necessity anymore, sadly.

The campfire is pretty much gone. All that remains from the dying fire are embers and ash. I thought about getting more wood but instead I just stayed sitting on this log and kept daydreaming. Suddenly, ale and mead sounds really good. I have that itch for a good drink. The closest inn from here is Rorikstead. I might just go over there and order a few drinks. Yep, I am going there. Maybe there's a drunken Nord there that would love fight. I'm itching for a good fist fight.

I got up to my feet and steadied my axe and dagger. I took a deep breath and started heading southeast. The town really isn't really that far but I really want to get there fast. My sight quickly adjusted to the night making my surroundings clear as day. I took in one deep breath then quickly started dashing towards the village.

* * *

As I strolled through the village, I noticed a few guards focusing their gaze on me. I tried to keep myself from making eye contact. Then I remembered to make my eyes less red by making my vision normal. Apparently vampire vision makes my eyes glowing red. I wouldn't know, there's not many mirrors throughout Skyrim.

Finally I reached the door to Frostfruit Inn. As I reached for the handle, I hear many voices inside. I lightly push the door open and casually walk in. The first thing I see is that there's a table placed in the middle right next to the large fireplace. There are six people seated around the table playing cards and yelling around the table. One of them is hooded with mage robes. I think nothing of it and I walk up to the bar.

"Hey, good evening," I say to the big inn keeper. I took a seat on a stool next to a smaller Nord that looks like he just lost an argument.

The inn keeper looks up from the cup he is cleaning. "Good evening," he said with an incredibly straight face. "If you want a meal or a room, I can help you with both."

I take out my coin sack and pull out six septims. "An ale or mead?"

He took the gold then hands me a some ale. I thank him and uncork the bottom. The smell of the alcohol breezes through my nostrils, damn I really need this. I take a long swig and swallow it. Fairly decent. Not as good as Alto Wine or Argonian Bloodwine. Oh well, this will do just fine. I take another swig of the ale and look back at the inn keeper.

"Hey," I say to him. I try my hardest to keep my eyes away from his. The last thing I need is him suspecting me being a vampire.

He looks back to me from cleaning his cup. "Need something?" He raises an eyebrow and leans a little toward me. "You're lookin' pale. Are you sick?"

Well, shit. My heart flipped in my chest after I processed the words that came out of his mouth. If he suspects that I'm a vampire..

"It's been a long day, I'm feeling a little fatigued." The man only lowered his eyebrows. "Anyways, I'd like to ask if you have seen someone."

He crossed his arms pressed his lips together. "I don't share the privacy of my customers, stranger," he replied sternly.

"I need to find him, I need his help for something very dire."

He shook his head. "Sorry, can't help you."

I merely grimaced then took out my coin sack. "God damn it man," I dropped the sack on the bar. "You can have this if you can tell me where the person I'm looking for is."

The inn keeper looked down at the coin purse and studied it for a moment. The young Nord beside me quickly looks up at the inn keeper with raised eyebrows and an excited reaction. Finally, the inn keeper looked back up to me and nodded.

"Alright, I'm looking for a man named Falion. He's a Redguard from Morthal that has been missing for almost a year now. He does research on Daedric magic." I had to think twice from saying research on vampires.

The man gave me a half smile and shrugged. "I have not, sir. Sorry."

I should of known. Nobody knows where the hell Falion is. Fuck it, I'm never giving up. I nod to the inn keeper and toss him ten septims. "Well, thanks for the cooperation."

I glance back at the group of men playing cards. Seems like they are betting against each other, alright alright. Wait a minute.. Cards? In Skyrim? I don't recall any place that had people playing cards. I got up from the stool and slowly made my way towards the game table. I take a closer look at the cards... They are the same as the ones from Earth! Well this might be something that the game makers just decided to not put in.

I took another glance at the game. It looks like Texas Hold 'Em. No, it definitely is Texas Hold 'Em. I notice that the mage has a lot gold coins on his side. I walk behind the mage and cross my arms. One of the Nords with a handlebar mustache looks up at me with an annoyed expression.

"Are you playin' or not?" He gripes up at me. I shake my head and the ugly Nord snarls. Yeah, well fuck you dumb-as-shit inbred Nord trash.

The mage began shuffling the deck then starts dealing two cards around the table to each player. Each player looked at their cards and threw a gold coin in the middle of the table. The mage discarded the next three cards then dealt the first three cards next to each other. A five of diamonds, an ace of hearts, and a queen of clubs. Two of the players instantly folded. The mage threw in ten septims. The next player called and put in ten. Another folded. The handlebar mustache Nord glances at his cards, chuckles then throws in twenty-five septims.

The mage studies the his cards then at the cards down on the table. I lean in and look at his cards. A king of spades and a two of diamonds. So far, he's bluffing his way in this one. He raises the bet to fifty septims. I smirk a little at his risky technique. The next player folds his cards and leans back. The ugly Nord gave the mage an evil smile and calls his bet.

The mage discards one card then sets the forth next to the queen of clubs.

A queen of diamonds. Shit, two queens on the playing field.

"Ha, I think I got ya this time!" The ugly Nord comments as he pulls out a sack of coins and throws it in the middle. "Hundred-fifty septims!" The mage looks back to his cards for a long moment. "Can ya stand the heat?" The Nord jeers.

The mage calls and throws in a sack of coins. Immediately, the ugly Nord's smirk fades away. The mage discards another card then places the fifth card. A queen of spades! Whoa, shit just got real! The ugly Nord instantly forms an evil smile at the sight of this card.

"Show," says the mage. Funny, I heard his voice somewhere...

Both players lay down their cards. The ugly Nord has a queen of hearts and a five of spades. Damn, he has a full house. The mage lays down his cards and the Nord smiles wider as he takes his winnings.

"You think you can bluff me? I beat you at your own game an' got myself quite a bit of gold!" He laughs annoyingly and the other players groan. "C'mon, I wanna get some more gold from you!"

The mage shrugs and starts shuffling the deck. As he shuffles, one of the other players stand up.

"I'm out, can't afford to lose anymore gold," he says. He begins walking up to the bar.

"Me too," says another.

"I'm done," says a third.

The ugly Nord starts laughing. "Can't take the heat, eh? I dunno 'bout you fellas but I think this is a blessing from Zenithar. At least for me!"

I let out a small snort and shook my head. I think this mage is playing him like a fiddle. The funny thing is that he has no clue whatsoever. I take another swig of my ale. It's strange that I'm not feeling buzzed or anything because this is fairly alcoholic. I remember I use to be a lightweight back on the other world. If I drank three beers or take four shots, I would be fairly drunk. One time I took twelve shots. Needless to say, I didn't remember that night!

Anyways, the mage finishes shuffling the deck and he passes two cards to the other two players and himself. All three players look at their cards and throw in one of their coins. The ugly Nord snickers and throws in twenty septims before the cards were dealt.

"Go big or go home!" He boasts at the other two players. Both threw in twenty septims. Raised to sixty septims before the cards could hit the field? This might get a little out of hand soon.

The mage discards a few and sets down the first three cards. A king of spades, a seven of spades, and a king of hearts. Shit, this is pretty big. I lean to peek at the mages cards. A king of clubs and a two of diamonds. Ha, he's got a great hand. The mage taps his fingers on the table and looks over to the other player. He bets fifty septims with a straight face. Then it comes to the ugly Nord's turn to bet. He smiles and throws the same bag as last game. Raised one hundred! The mage accepts his offer and throws down another bag the same size.

The other player looks at his cards, at the cards on the field and then at the massive bet placed in the middle. He shakes his head and puts his cards down. "It's too much, I fold."

The ugly Nord then looks at the mage. "It's just you and me now, milk-drinker. I'm gonna make you go broke."

The mage only snorted a little and placed another card on the field. A jack of spades. The ugly Nord laughs and throws another bag of coins on the table. It's the mage's move now. There are so many coins in this now and he's on a lot of pressure. I don't see any other sacks of coins on him. What's he going to do?

After a moment of thinking, the mage brings his hand down to his belt and pulls out a small green blade. It's a glass dagger! And it's glowing dark blueish so there has to be lighting enchantment on that thing. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any glass weapons for a year. The only one I know I saw was... Steve's! This can't be him, can it? No, it wouldn't make any sense.

He waves the dagger at the handlebar mustached Nord. The Nord's eyeballs grew wider at the sight and a large demonic smile ran across his face. Suddenly, I notice The mage's hand with his cards are lowered underneath the table. I know what he's doing, clever man I must say. In all of a few seconds, he distracts the Nord with the glass dagger as he switched one of his cards out of his hand for another.

Finally, he sets the dagger on the table and lifts up his other hand. "That means you raise," he says to his opponent. I take a peek at his hand. Wow, he switched the two of diamonds for a king of diamonds. Ha, he has himself a four of a kind.

I look back at the Nord sitting across the table. He sits there studying the weapon. He looks back up at the mage with his eyebrows lowered.

"I don't have to raise! You were out of gold!" He yells across the table.

The mage shook his head. "No I don't think you understand how valuable this dagger is. It's not just any dagger either. I call it _Sting_, it has a lightning enchantment on it. It's worth about 5000 gold, but I'll let you bet around," he hums a little and bobs his head back and forth, "400 even."

Well, it has to be Steve. Nobody would call a small blue blade _Sting_ other than Steve or Kevin. They were die-hard Lord of the Rings fans which had a blade named _Sting_. The fact that they seriously called a small blade _Sting_ makes laugh.

The Nord shook his head and gritted his teeth. "I don't got that much!" He snarled.

The mage, most likely being Steve, shakes his head calmly. "Nope, you either put something in or you fold."

I can see the rage flowing through the Nord's eyes. It's actually quite funny as he sits there groaning in anger.

"Fine!" He replies. He takes off the necklace he has on. It was silver with a garnet on it. That can't be worth 400 gold.

The mage slightly cocks his head. "Good enough." He discards one and puts down the river. A three of hearts. A useless card.

"Ah it don't matter, show!" The Nord orders.

"You first," the mage replies. "It's the rules. You bet last."

The Nord rolls his eyes and puts his hand down. An ace of spades and a ten of spades. "Ha, I have a flush!" He screams out in triumphant. The mage remains silent.

Gently, he puts down his two kings and looks back at the Nord. The Nord studies his cars and immediately his smile faded away.

"No way in the Eight that's right!" He yells out. He looks back up at the mage. "You son of a bitch!" He roared as he got to his feet.

The mage only laughs as he takes his winnings. Five-hundred fifty gold and a silver necklace is what the winnings were. He puts the loose coins in one of the bags and gets up from his chair. He sheathes his glass blade and takes a step toward the door.

"This isn't over you milk-drinker!" The Nord roared again.

As he placed a hand on the door, he took out his other hand from his pocket and showed the Nord what he was holding. The two of diamonds. As soon as the Nord processed what the card was, he pushes the table back. At the point, the mage darts out the door with all the winnings. The Nord runs after him out the door yelling all sorts of curses.

I decide to go out the door to see what happens. As soon as I walk out, I see the Nord restlessly searching in all directions for the mage. "I will find you one day you asshole!" He shouts out of anger and a little of desperation.

Suddenly, I hear something to my left near the benches, like quiet laughing. I use vampire vision at the direction and I see a distortion of light around the bench. The mage must of took an invisibility potion. He gets up and runs in the other direction towards Whiterun. I look back at the distressed Nord who is now on his knees and on the verge of crying. I start laughing myself. He just got scammed by that mage.

I look back in the direction the mage went and I see that his potion wore off but he's quite a ways away from the village already. I might just have to meet this mage. I cracked my neck and stretched my legs then start walking toward the scam artist.


End file.
